I tilt towards books that lean towards the contrarian quadrant. Example: former USC President Steven Sample's book, The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership. Before buying a book, he prefers a five-minute conversation with someone who has already read it.

• “There is a reason why this is a small book. We want it to be useful, but not a burden.”• “We believe good people need reminders and an occasional nudge, not a sermon.”• “A good board will measure the appropriate inputs as well as the outputs. Failure to measure what matters damages our future.”• “My friend Jim Beré…once told me that he would serve only on boards that had hard-working executive committees.”

Commenting on board committees, De Pree notes the story of the English visitor who watched his first American football game and observed, “The game combines the two worst elements of American culture—violence and committee meetings.”

Rather than penning a 300-page snoozer, De Pree crafts a coaching conversation (a series of letters) with a young leader and his first CEO/board relationship. It’s easy reading and the short epistles are extraordinary.

Board service, writes De Pree, should be “demanding in the best sense of the word.” He lists three other characteristics of great boards: • Lively • Effective • Fun to serve on

CEOs will appreciate every page: “…the chief responsibility of boards is to be effective on behalf of the organization.” He adds, “Effective boards, in a nutshell: • remember the long view, • remember that the president and staff are human, • and do the work of the board…” • Plus this: “Most of the work of the board takes place through the implementation of an agenda.”

More contrarian pokes-in-the-ribs:

• “Many high-priced consultants will tell you to have the shortest possible mission statement. I don’t happen to think that is such a great idea.”• “I feel that the closer an organization comes to being defined as a movement, the closer it will come to fulfilling its potential.”• “I’m a great believer that management should be invited into the board’s world but that the board should not go into management’s area.”• “The chairperson should not permit anyone to read to the board.”

Effective boards do very good planning, says De Pree. He lists three planning questions and then suggests who must be involved in the planning. “…some people need to be involved, to be blunt, because they are going to pay the bill.”

He balances the CFO’s involvement in planning with this: “Planning by the board ought always to include the chief financial officer, a bringer of necessary reality to the process. Of course, the chief financial officer should never have a role that stymies the vision. Some realities have priority over numbers.”

Oh, my—I could fill a year’s worth of eNewsletters with his contrarian coaching!

• “Loyalty by itself is never sufficient. You always have to link loyalty and competence.”• “When an organization demands true leadership and the results justify the time and energy, good boards respond with gusto.”• “Another crime, it seems to me, is to give really good people poor leadership.”

Trust me—this book will not disappoint. All 91 pages are packed with power. Perfect snippets for your “10 Minutes for Governance” segment at every board meeting. (You do that, right?) I’ll close with a story.

Addressing the importance of creating time in the agenda for board reflection, he writes, “I remember the story, perhaps apocryphal, about President Eisenhower and his secretary of state, John Foster Dulles. Dulles was an inveterate traveler. He seemed to be on the go continuously. At one point during the discussion of a serious problem, President Eisenhower said to him, ‘Don’t just do something, stand there.’ Sometimes it’s easier to be busy than to take the time to be reflective.”

Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:1) Max De Pree writes, “…a board can be only as good as management will help it become.” So how effective is your organization’s CEO and senior team in helping the board be effective—without inappropriately doing the board’s work?2) De Pree recommends that “Key proposals and issues like building programs or fund drives should always come to the board through its committees at least twice.” Think back for three years—has this been your practice?

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"A Nonprofit Board Is Not a Family!"Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit

Chapter 1, “Be Aware of Rose-Colored Glasses,” will get your attention! Fram writes, “When you hear any of these commonly voiced assertions, look beyond surface realities.” His favorite five: 1. “Our board is doing a great job! 2. We have no worries—we have (or just hired) a great CEO! 3. When push comes to shove, our board can raise big $$! 4. Our programs are superior to other similar nonprofits! 5. Our board of directors is like a family!”

On “family,” he adds: “Remind yourself that families don't typically meet once a month, serve specific terms, or weigh whether to resign when faced with over-whelming work/personal pressures. A nonprofit board is not a family and shouldn't aspire to be one.”

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